Thursday, May 1, 2008

It's Good to Be the King: Flan King

The world of artisanal desserts is really booming right now. There are so many new, high quality dessert makers propping up on the internet and at farmers' markets. It is definitely a good time to have a sweet tooth.

My latest find in this world is Flan King, a new stand at the Sunday Hollywood Farmers Market. Flan King makes...flan, but not just any flan, rich, smooth and creamy flan, that you can take home with you. When I stopped by last weekend they had two sizes: an individual size for $3 and a small for $5, but their cards include larger sizes. The medium (pictured) is about three inches in diameter. Ingredients, of course, are simple and all-natural: milk, eggs, sugar, coconut, vanilla, salt.

To make it look like a flan, you can flip it onto a plate, but barbarian that I am, I just ate it out of the tin. The custard was fantastic. It had just the right balance of creamy and eggy. While coconut is listed as an ingredient, there is no discernible coconut flavor. The caramel syrup pooled on the bottom was delicious. The very bottom layer (which is supposed to be the very top) was a hard, caramelized sugar crust. So, if you flipped it, you would really end up with something more akin to a creme brulee than a traditional flan. Regardless of the form, the entire thing was delicious.

Thanks for the visit and write up! We are in a few Farmer's Markets around town: Atwater Village, Echo Park, Encino and of course Hollywood. Just started the markets a month or so ago, before that pretty low key - so I guess it's really our first public debut. Have to say, I think that's a small flan pictured - but all the sizes taste great!